1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for loading and unloading objects upon and from a vehicle, and more particularly, to a truck gate that includes gate fingers attached a base portion to form recesses that allows a person to step between adjacent gate fingers to enable the person to slide an object from a truck “bed” and upon cooperating gate fingers when the vehicle gate is elevated and horizontally positioned in substantial alignment with the truck bed, whereupon, the truck loading gate and objects thereupon are lowered to the ground level, then the objects are manually slid from the loading gate and disposed upon the ground.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Lift gates and in particular, hydraulic lift gates are well known and have a myriad of uses, the most common being for loading and unloading any type of object (so long as the object can be supported by only the gate) upon or from a truck hauling surface or truck “bed” to ultimately deliver the objects to a predetermined destination. The operation of a prior art truck gate requires the lowering of a truck gate from a substantially vertical position to a substantially horizontal position that places the truck gate in planar alignment with the truck bed. A person then manually slides an object from the truck bed and upon the lowered truck gate, and lowers the gate until the objects are sufficiently close to ground level to slide or lift the objects from the lowered gate and upon the ground. When elevating objects from ground level to the truck bed, objects are manually disposed upon a lowered truck gate, then elevated until the truck gate is aligned planar with the truck bed, whereupon, the objects are manually slid from the gate onto the truck bed.
A problem with the prior art method and apparatus (truck gate) for lowering relatively “tall” objects disposed on the truck to ground level is that a person has to stand on the ground and manually hold the objects upon the horizontal truck gate so that the objects do not tip or otherwise fall from the lowering truck gate. Manually maintaining the tall objects upon the gate can be difficult because the person holding the object has to avoid the lowering gate, while at the same time trying to maintain the object vertical by extending his or her arms over a lowering edge of the gate and placing his or her hands upon a surface area of the object adjacent to the lowering edge, resulting in a potentially dangerous position for the person.